The Central African country claimed a runners-up finish as hosts of AfroBasket Women 2015, and as a result ensured a second chance to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics via the WOQT. But over the course of the past few months there has been more questions than answers about their participation.

Clearly last October's dispute around bonuses - which ended up being paid - between FECABASKET, players and the coaching staff may have contributed to an atmosphere of uncertainty.

But the country has registered to participate in the WOQT, and last week, the President of FECABASKET, Samuel Nduku, reassured me that planning for the training camp is underway.

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Samuel Nduku, President of Cameroon's Basketball Federation

"We will make a formal announcement of our preparations in April," Nduku said. "We are inviting some of the players who played at AfroBasket Women 2015, but not all."

Doubts about the participation of African teams in the WOQT isn't a new affair. Back in 2012, Mali - the hosts and runners-up at AfroBasket Women 2011 - showed up in Ankara, Turkey, the site of WOQT, with a team that included four inexperienced U19 players.

At the time, Mali's Basketball Federation remained silent about the team's preparations and as far as I am aware, rumours of an alleged boycott from senior players - including Djenebou Sissoko, Djene Diawara and Naignouma Coulibaly - were never confirmed.
Switzerland-based Frenchman Michel Perrin, who was at the helm of the team, arrived in Ankara two days before the team, and held only a 10-day preparation on Turkish soil before the competition started. Mali finished their campaign with a 0-2 mark.

Meanwhile, Senegal - who had come in third at AfroBasket Women 2011 - pulled out of the WOQT. Fourth-place Nigeria, who had the right to replace Senegal, turned down the chance to take part in the competition. Mozambique, who had finished fifth, grabbed the opportunity with two hands.

Mozambique (MOZ) made its world stage debut at the 2012 WOQT

If a country pulls out of a competition such as the WOQT, it is subject to a penalty and probably a reprimand from FIBA. Of course every team would love to qualify directly to the Olympics, but for some African teams the WOQT seems quite a daunting challenging.
But for Miesha Blackshear, who starred for Cameroon last October, her country shouldn't worry about its position in the FIBA World Ranking Women in order to secure one of the five places on offer for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Cameroon (CMR)
Cameroon will play Argentina and Turkey in Group B in the French city of Nantes. And it will need at least one win in the Group Phase to advance to the Quarter-Finals where it would face one of the top-two teams advancing from Group A, which consists of Cuba, France and New Zealand.
This is what Blackshear told me: "I think that in order to secure a spot, Cameroon needs to continue to play hard and as a team. The stakes are higher now so it's imperative to play smart and play hard. They are just other teams that qualified and they are going after the same thing as Cameroon."
I'm not really sure what to make of the opponents. I've learned not to look at any team different. They want to win just as Cameroon does and that's a key thing to remember. - Blackshear
Cameroon will open its WOQT campaign against Argentina on 13 June.